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Switzerland to ban unsolicited sales calls from health insurance firms

The Local Switzerland
The Local Switzerland - news@thelocal.ch
Switzerland to ban unsolicited sales calls from health insurance firms
No more unsolicited insurance calls. Image by Nicola Giordano from Pixabay

If you are tired of all the unsolicited (‘cold’) phone calls from Swiss insurance companies trying to persuade you to switch your coverage to this or that provider, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

That’s because from September 1st, health insurance brokers will no longer be allowed to try to sell an insurance policy by phone to a person who has never been insured with a particular company, or who has not been insured there for at least 36 months.

This move was approved by the parliament in December 2022 because, deputies decided, these “unwanted calls are a major source of annoyance for policyholders.”

In addition, during a consultation with a client, the broker will be required to draw up a report and have it signed by the client.

"Thanks to these measures, the activity of insurance intermediaries will be better regulated," the government said.

If these rules are broken after September 1st, insurance carriers risk a fine of up to 100,000 francs.

What if you want to switch to another health insurance carrier?

You will have to do this without the unsolicited interference of brokers.

You are free, of course, to seek out representatives of insurance companies yourself and ask them for a quote — as long as you (and not they) initiate this call, no law is broken.

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And what if you new to Switzerland and want to purchase health insurance for the first time?

Here too you should do it on your own rather than be subjected to a hard sell by companies.

If you are not sure what would work best for you, there are reputable sources of information and price comparison to help you out, including Comparis and Priminfo.

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